October 19, 1999

Hello everyone, rain in the morning kept numbers low at first but the

afternoon turned out pretty nice. A strong north wind was blowing,

20-25mph all day, and a very low ceiling kept the hawks down. All in all

a tough day for watching, that wind/rain/cold combination was

uncomfortable to say the least. A few times the clouds parted to reveal a

blue, blue sky above but it wasn't until I left that it really began to

clear. Wednesday is supposed to be warmer, with less clouds and less

wind. I heard a broad-winged vocalizing in one of the oak mottes in late

morning, thought that was unusual. Today's count:

2 Osprey

1 White-tailed Kite

17 Northern Harrier

24 Sharp-shinned Hawk

26 Cooper's Hawk

386 Broad-winged Hawk

3 Swainson's Hawk

2 Red-tailed Hawk

71 American Kestrel

2 Unid. accipiter

7 Unid. raptor

541 Total Hawks

Until tomorrow,

Kyle McCarty

Official counter

Smith Point Hawk Watch is made possible by donations from Exxon,

Hawkwatch International, Houston O.G., Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, and

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Computer donated by Texas Partners in Flight and Compaq. Thank you all.